We talk to Phannarith An, co-founder and Director of Sales and Marketing of Asia Premium Travel to get his take on Cambodia’s tourism boom and how to provide the World’s most authentic luxury travel experiences in the Cambodia and his company’s vision in the Mekong Region.

1. Can you tell us a little about your company?

We are Asia Premium Travel (APT), the first Cambodia-based premium travel and tour operator for the Mekong region.

We recently launched our company with a head office located in Siem Reap and a branch office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

APT is a joint venture between local and international partners who have more than 10 years of professional experience and know how in the luxury tour and travel industry.

APT will be known for their custom high-end journeys, first-hand destination knowledge, and dedication to highly personalized experiences, insider

Phan An

access, and unsurpassed service to an elite clientele.

2. How does Asia Premium Travel distinguish itself from the competitors in Cambodia?

Just as airlines have economy, deluxe and business class and hotels have 3, 4 and 5 star ratings, we position ourselves as a five star tour operator. We specialize in high-end travel packages in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

First, we have the greatest teams who speak English, French, German and Spanish. From the top down, our teams consist of knowledgeable and experienced individuals who have been in the industry for more than 15 years. Most importantly we all have the same passion in promoting luxury travel in Cambodia and the Mekong sub-region.

Second, we have the greatest and most unique product. We custom make every itinerary with top 5 showcased categories. This allows guests to get ‘beneath’ the surface of our destinations, and go to unique locations and behind the scenes.

Guests get to the must see destinations and meet the right experts in their field. We also offer gastronomic interactions to experience the best authentic, local cuisine. And, we empower travelers with the unique opportunity to help local under privileged communities.

Further, we deliver excellent services. It’s our first priority that we put service on the top of everything else. We commit to work aggressively and seriously to ensure that every customer we serve will be satisfied and with our personal touch and the experience we have offered. We will make every effort to make our guests feel special. We have 24/7 hotline support for our customers, in case they need any urgent assistance.

Also, we offer top of the line transportation. We partner with the best in town local transportation companies to offer the best vehicle that fits our client needs. We have new vehicles ranging from standards such as Toyota and Hyundai to the high end such as BMW and Mercedes Benz. All vehicles are well and safely equipped with good air-conditioning and with complimentary cold towels, mineral water, soft-drinks or local beer upon request during the trip.

Lastly, we guaranty satisfaction to our B2B partners through our promptness, responsiveness and value. We pledge to provide informative and reliable responses to any request or question from our partners within 24 hours. We believe that our partners’ success is our success. Therefore, we need to work hard to insure we have delivered service that exceeds their customer’s expectations and at the same time we must insure that every trip is a value for the money.

3. Why have you involved luxury travel in the Kingdom?

Cambodia is an emerging luxury travel destination for the most sophisticated travelers and the country infrastructure is improving and Cambodia has a lot of things to offer. We see a lot of potentialities and tap in to the untapped high end market.

First, our teams have a dream, vision and are passionate about the tourism industry especially in the luxury market.

Second, we have seen a tremendous increasing rate of luxury travelers around the globe especially in the Mekong region.

Yet, we still have not seen any tour operator in Cambodia which mainly focuses on this luxury market, so here we are to enter this segment as the first luxury tour service provider in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

4. How do you define luxury travel?

We define luxury travel as experiences, and my team and I provide the world’s most authentic travel experiences in the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Mekong sub-region, including:

·Best of the best transportation (brand new vehicles, super clean &safely equipped)

·High-end accommodations, restaurants, and resorts designed for seasoned travelers.

In the luxury segment, we are seeing a demand for offbeat destinations and experiences. A few years ago, luxury was restricted to five or seven-star hotels in more developed regions, but all that is changing.

Travelers are spending more on holidays and have taken a fancy to exploring exotic locations, luxury experiences, local culinary delights and shopping holidays.

For the most sophisticated travelers, luxury travel is about the best personalized services, starting from exclusive and isolated resorts to concierge services.

5. Are travel agencies looking to the same values when programming Cambodia?

The majority of travelers to Cambodia come for short trips to Siem Reap and the Angkor Temples, but southern beaches around Sihanouk Ville are gaining popularity, thanks to new tourism infrastructure, new hotels and airlines links.

Travel to Cambodia is spreading beyond popular Siem Reap, we see a huge increase in ecotourism and adventure travel in the more remote areas of the country.

Adventure-seeking travellers were heading to regions such as Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri in the north-east, where there are vast, pristine national parklands. This is also a good way to combine Cambodia and Laos (Luang Prabang) in one trip.

Cambodia has a pristine coastline stretching in the length of 450 kilometers in four provinces of Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Kampot and Kep.

We believe that our partners’ success is our success. We recommend them to sell more beautiful products, not just Angkor Temples.

They will always be looking for the same value from the programs they have included for Cambodia.

Therefore, we need to work hard to insure we have delivered the service and value that is maintained across all the destinations we serve.

6. What is your main target market for Asia Premium Travel?

Cambodia received some 3.5 million foreign arrivals last year, a 24 per cent year-on-year rise. About 75 per cent of tourists were from the Asia-Pacific region, 16 per cent from Europe and the rest from other parts of the world.

We keep a focus on the Asia Pacific but are keen on long haul travelers from North American, Europe, Australia and the Middle East.

We expect the arrivals from the Middle East will grow, supported by Qatar Airways’ new daily flight connection from Doha to Phnom Penh via Ho Chi Minh City.

7. Could you name the top five most high-end experiences in Cambodia?

· Visiting the world heritage site, Angkor Wat temple, at dawn and avoiding the crowds

·Become the most reliable tour operator in Cambodia to partner agents within the region.

In 10 years:

·Become the top luxury service provider in the Mekong sub-region.

The vision of our company is to become a leading premium luxury travel and tour operator in the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Mekong Sub region, where we put our customers in first place and we care for the people.

Our team of personal experience managers are willing to do whatever it takes to go beyond the expectations of our clients, making this a once in a lifetime experience.